


Setback

by leehoseucc



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Drugs, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Violence, mafia, performing arts major kihyun, this is lame so far, wonho is a mafia boss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2020-07-30 18:54:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20101993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leehoseucc/pseuds/leehoseucc
Summary: He stands and places the heel of his boot on the man’s chest, pushing him onto his back. He pleads harder, starts making shit up about a family, wife and kids all under the age of 10 he says. “There you go with the lying again, and playing with my soft spot too? Did you think I wouldn’t have a background check done on you? You don’t have any living family shit, I’m not fucking stupid.” He digs his heal in more, making the man cry out in pain. “Say one more bullshit word and I’ll break every bone in your body and leave you here to die instead of breaking a couple of ribs and putting a bullet through your head.”





	1. Blood and Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> bria made me write this so blame her

The familiar scent of blood and sweat hit Hoseok’s nose as Hyunwoo opens the heavy warehouse door. He doesn’t step in, just lets his eyes scan the brightly lit area before letting them land on the person lying in the middle of the floor. His face was covered in bruises at different stages, his lip split, and his knuckles bloodied.

“Since you didn’t want him bound, he was screaming his head off, banging on shit. The yellowing bruise on his left cheek was from Changkyun when he threw a punch. Everything else was already there when we found him.” Hoseok nods and steps forward, making little sound. The door shuts behind him with a resounding boom, startling the man on the floor awake.

Hoseok makes his way over and looks down, unimpressed, at the man who only takes a few seconds to recognize his boss and to get on his knees to plead for his life. “Sir, this is a misunderstanding, I swear! I was set up by that bitch Jooheon, he slipped the coke into my pocket and then piled it in my car while I was double checking the shipment! Please, you have to believe me!”

Hoseok tuts, his expression growing dark as he crouches down to be at eye level with the traitor. “Set up? First of all, dickwad, Jooheon was with me while I took care of business elsewhere.” He doesn’t mask the venom in his voice, but he doesn’t lash out, knowing from years in this business that being calm strikes more fear than being loud. “Second of all, I have a witness. I sent Minhyuk to watch you and you want to know what he said? You told three of my workers that I told you to sell 5 pounds immediately. Lying won’t save your ass this time or any other time. I don’t like to be stolen from, but I hate being lied to.” He pats the man’s cheek and smiles as he watches as the horror of being caught grow. “Minhyuk also told me you took my drugs, cut it up with something nast, and sold it at half price. If anyone dies it’ll be my fault, you know? I better make an example out of you.”

He stands and places the heel of his boot on the man’s chest, pushing him onto his back. He pleads harder, starts making shit up about a family, wife and kids all under the age of 10 he says. “There you go with the lying again, and playing with my soft spot too? Did you think I wouldn’t have a background check done on you? You don’t have any living family shit, I’m not fucking stupid.” He digs his heal in more, making the man cry out in pain. “Say one more bullshit word and I’ll break every bone in your body and leave you here to die instead of breaking a couple of ribs and putting a bullet through your head.”

_Crack___

_ _~~~_ _

_ _Kihyun allows the sounds of the café wash over him as he steps inside. The chatter dominates, yet the clinking of cups and whirring of the machines could be heard. The scents hit a moment later and attack more violently as the strong smell of coffee makes his head spin._ _

_ _He orders a mocha before throwing his bag into a booth. He couldn’t get a table next to a window like he wanted, but he decides a booth in snug corner might be better anyways. Less distraction from the street._ _

_ _As he waits for his coffee and best friend to arrive, he pulls out a script and reads it over for what’s probably the thousandth time. It’s only one he’s using for an audition, and he performed it while he was in school, but this musical was a once in a lifetime chance, he can’t fuck it up._ _

_ _Kihyun is so enveloped in his script, even taking to muttering it to himself, that his drink clinking down in front of him makes him jump. The cute barista smiles and winks before walking away._ _

_ _While he blows on his drink to cool it down, his best friend, Hyungwon saunters over, plopping himself in the booth across from him. “That barista flirted with you again? What’s his name? Hongjoong?”_ _

_ _Kihyun flushes, but shakes his head, “He’s not flirting, now shut your mouth before I shove something down your throat.”_ _

_ _Hyungwon laughs it off and winks, saying “Kinky” as he does, just loud enough for the barista in question to hear as he brings another drink._ _

_ _Kihyun won’t look up and the barista doesn’t say anything before walking away again. He has half a mind to start beating on Hyungwon before he realizes there are too many witnesses. “You’re here to help me with my lines, not embarrass me,” Which Hyungwon shrugs at before holding his hand out for the script._ _

_ _For the next couple of hours, Kihyun perfects his lines and memorizes them to the last comma, fueled by a cup of coffee provided every half hour._ _

_ _Eventually, Hyungwon announces Mihyuk will join them since he just got off work. Kihyun likes Minhyuk, so he doesn’t argue and buries his nose in his script again._ _

_ _Even if he wanted to, Kihyun couldn’t miss Minhyuk bunding into the café like an oversized puppy a few minutes later. They are the same age which meant Minhyuk teases him freely, but he got as much as he gave._ _

_ _“Geez Min, never could make a cool entrance, could you?”_ _

_ _The retort is lost as Kihyun catches the eye of a man looking into the café, but he’s gone before Kihyun gets a word out._ _

_ _~~~_ _

_ _Hoseok continues walking after dropping Minhyuk off at the cafe. There’s flakes of dried blood on his hands and under his fingernails and he’s been itching to clean himself. Hyunwoo had offered to drop him off, but he needed the fresh air and he wanted to check out Minhyuk’s friends, or boyfriend and friend._ _

_ _The names Hyungwon and Kihyun floated around a lot and Min wasn’t the only one that talked about them. Jooheon had gone to school with them before he dropped out and he’s close to Kihyun._ _

_ _As he peeks in the window, the one he knows is Kihyun makes eye contact with him, which is when he decides to leave. They looked normal, which Minhyuk needs in his life, normalcy._ _

_ _Hoseok forgets about the kid as he walks into his hotel, making his way to the top floor where his penthouse resides. He’s greeted by the girl on duty inside the elevator and she automatically pushes the button that will take them all the way up. Hoseok steps over inserts his key, turning it until it clicks and the elevator starts moving._ _

_ _He isn’t talked to, the girl’s on orders to not make small talk this late at night unless talked to first, just take room cards and direct people if they need help._ _

_ _

_ _He tips her when the doors open again and she dips down, whispering as small “Thank you” as she does. Hoseok gives her a smile as the elevator closes again_ _

_ _His smile turns grim as he looks at his hands again._ _

_ _~~~_ _

_ _The gaze of the man doesn’t leave Kihyun, even after he’s gone home. He doesn’t know what’s bothering him so much, but he thinks it has something to do with his eyes. Were they expressing anger? Jealousy?_ _

_ _His thoughts are interrupted by Hyungwon flops onto the couch and lays his head in Kihyun’s lap. “You look like you’ve been thinking too much. You just graduated a month ago, so stop doing that.”_ _

_ _Kihyun huffs and pulls out a pillow from underneath him to hit Hyungwon in the face. “I gotta think about how to clothe and feed your ass.”_ _

_ _Hyungwon shoots up and glares at Kihyun, “I make plenty of money, I’m on my way to being famous.”_ _

_ _“Okay, fancy artist boy, don’t you have commissions to fill?”_ _

_ _Hyungwon mumbles something that sounds like “Fuck you,” as he makes his way to the room they made into a studio. Kihyun trails behind him, bored of the drama he was watching. Half of the room has Hyungwon’s easles and a wall full of supplies that aren’t stored in the waist high cabinet they built together._ _

_ _The other half has a desk set between two identical bookshelves that they, again, built together. The shelves are full of scripts, some bound like books and others staples together. There’s a music stand near the invisible room divider, but other than that, the floor is clear of any clutter since Kihyun often paces the room while revising._ _

_ _Hyungwon’s art is everywhere, some propped against walls, waiting to be shipped out, but those hung up are personal pieces. Kihyun never had any use for the walls on his side, so he lets Hyungwon put his art up everywhere. There’s a couple of Kihyun during shows that Hyungwon captured and later painted in colors much more vibrant than what they really were. The majority are of Minhyuk, both realistic and in Hyungwon’s usual, vibrant style._ _

_ _Hyungwon carries a camera pretty much wherever he goes, always taking candid pictures to be turned into beautiful pieces later. There’s still shots as well, one of a woman looking over her shoulder at something behind the camera, the world still moving around her. Another done in charcoal of a naked man sitting with his arms around his knees and his head down. Kihyun doesn’t recognize the model for that one, but his body is strung with lean muscle, not like Minhyuk though. As a guess, the boy is probably about his own height. Hyungwon never gave too much information, just that he was someone Minhyuk worked with and there’s a painting of him that was done as a commission. _ _

_ _“You want to model? I helped with your lines earlier.” Kihyun sits on one of the few stools in the room and thinks about it. If he meant as a live model, he could be there for hours._ _

_ _“How about we eat and then I’ll model for you. I don’t want to starve.” Hyungwon agrees and they shuffle back to the kitchen._ _


	2. Babysitters and Elevators

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not many people were in the shop as it was nearing lunch time, so their food and drinks didn’t take long, but Minhyuk got a call before he could dig in. The look on his face turned grim as he looked at the caller I.D and motioned for Hyungwon to scoot out, “It’s work.” He complied immediately and Minhyuk walked outside and out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FINALLY GOT THE SECOND CHAPTER DONE!!!

Hoseok drops his hands when he notices a small human shaped figure wrapped in a My Little Pony comforter lying on the sofa. The same show is playing on the TV, but with the volume turned down. He quietly walks down the hall, doing his best to navigate the slightly cluttered hallway, before reaching his room and the conjoined bathroom. The sound of running water is calming as he watches red swirl down the drain before turning clear again. He doesn’t bother washing his face besides scrubbing it a little with just water to get rid of the little bit of blood there was.

After walking back to the living room, he watches the steady rising and falling of his daughter’s chest as he feels a wave of guilt wash over him. She stayed up to say goodnight to him but he got home so late, the babysitter must have left hours ago. _Well she’s definitely fired._ He scoops the girl and her stuffed rabbit up gently, taking them to her room and tucking them in properly.

His room has too many dark corners and he doesn’t feel like dealing with his demons tonight, so he grabs a blanket and settles down on the sofa, turning on a rerun of a variety show.

When he finally dozes off hours later, his dreams are plagued with things he never wanted to relive or live at all.

His wife dying.

His daughter screaming as she watches.

Hoseok himself sitting helpless, bound by chains to a chair.

Hoseok stirs himself awake, body covered in sweat that’s turning cold and his face full of tears that taste of salt as he licks them off his lips. After checking the time, 4 AM, he decides three hours of sleep was plenty and he slowly stretches out to a standing position before moving to his bathroom and showering.

He’s sat at the breakfast bar, hot coffee in hand and round glasses on his face as he reads news from a tablet, when Haeun wakes and pads her way down the hall.

Clicking the tablet off, he gives a bright smile to his daughter as she struggles to get up into the stool next to him. “Hey Sunshine,” he says as he steps down and helps her up, “Sleep well?” She just pouts at him and crosses her arms. “What’s wrong Honeybun?”

“You didn’t get to say goodnight to me! I stayed up as long as I could.”

The guilt floods back.

“I’m sorry Haeunie, but I have good news! You get to come into work with me today.”

Haeun nods knowingly, but asks anyways, “What happened to Sooyeon unnie?”

“You know how it is baby, she left you here alone for who knows how long and didn’t even try to call me.”

She stabs her egg roll with her chopstick, obviously upset. “I liked her a lot, daddy.”

Guilt guilt guilt.

“I know, but at least you get to see your uncles today! It’s been a while since you’ve seen Changkyun and Jooheon.”

She looks smiles at that and he pushes the guilt down, knowing things will be okay for today.

~~~

When Kihyun rolls out of bed, the first thing he sees is Hyungwon standing over him with a golf club he didn’t know they had.

“What the fuck!” There’s a thump as he lands his ass on the opposite side of the bed. “What the hell Hyungwon? Were you going to hit me with that? Where’d you even get that fucking thing?’

“I was thinking of tapping you with it.”

Kihyun deadpans, “Then why the fuck are you holding it like a baseball bat?”

“To spice things up a bit.” He winks before turning towards the door, “Get dressed, we’re going to breakfast. Min is paying, but he doesn’t have all morning.”

Never being able to turn down free food, Kihyun jumps up and throws on sweatpants and a hoodie before running down the hall while struggling to pull socks on at the same time.

Hyungwon is in the entrance hall, pulling shoes on when Kihyun slides in and falls on his ass for the second time that morning. “Stupid bitch.”

“Fucking asshole,” Kihyun shoots back as he picks himself up and walks over, rubbing his butt where he likely bruised it.

They get to their favorite cafe and pass Minhyuk, who waves through the window. The warmth of the shop goes over Kihyun in waves, making him shudder before the door shuts behind them. They walk over to the both Min is in, Hyungwon automatically taking his place on the same side and Kihyun sliding to the middle of the other. “I already ordered for all of us, but they haven’t brought it out yet,” Minhyuk says in a cheery voice. How that kid always had energy, Kihyun never knew but suspected it was one too many cups of coffee, although he’s seen him first thing in the morning, just coming out of Hyungwon’s room with bedhead.

Hyungwon pecks him on the cheek and gives a soft “Thank you,” before they start chattering.

Not many people were in the shop as it was nearing lunch time, so their food and drinks didn’t take long, but Minhyuk got a call before he could dig in. The look on his face turned grim as he looked at the caller I.D and motioned for Hyungwon to scoot out, “It’s work.” He complied immediately and Minhyuk walked outside and out of sight.

Kihyun looked at Hyungwon curiously, “What does he do to get such an awful look on his face?” Hyungwon shrugs and takes a bite of his french toast, forgetting to even put syrup on it.

It’s silent until Minhyuk returns, Kihyun not wanting to pry and Hyungwon apparently not wanting to be pried into, but instead of a disappointed look and the words, “I gotta go,” Minhyuk looks cheerful and looks directly at Kihyun as he says, “I have a business proposition.”

~~~

Hoseok looks at his kid as she holds out her arms to be lifted up by Hyunwoo, who scoops her up gladly and spins around before setting her on his hip, one arm behind her back. “You’re getting a bit heavy, huh?” Haeun just shrugs and leans against his chest, looking at her dad and smiling as he pretend glares.

“What a little rascal,” he says before taking another sip of his third cup of coffee. He knows Hyunwoo wants to tell him he looks like shit, but wouldn’t dare with Haeun in the room, so he settles on, “Minhyuk will be here in a bit. He was having breakfast with his boyfriend and boyfriend’s roommate, but he says he already has a replacement babysitter.”

Haeun lifts her head at the mention of a babysitter and stares at Hyunwoo’s chin with wide eyes before looking at her dad, “Is this one as nice as Sooyeon unnie?”

“I haven’t met them yet baby, but I’ll make sure you get a nice one that will play with, okay?” Haeun nods before laying her head down again.

Hoseok knows she’ll keep listening, so he asks mundane questions like when he’ll meet them, their name, age, things a normal parent would ask, but Hyunwoo knows squat so he decides to just wait for Minhyuk to get here.

Eventually, Hyunwoo notices Haeun dozed off so he lays her on the couch in Hoseok’s office, before walking out to return to his normal duties, “I’ll send Joheon in with some food in a bit, I think he’s been wanting to see her.” Hoseok nods and he dismisses himself, shutting the door quietly behind him. 

Not long after, Minhyuk bursts through the door as Minhyuk does, brandishing his phone with a picture of a boy pulled up. He shoves it towards Hoseok, who grabs it aggressively, as he hums merrily. “You woke Haeun up you asshole.”

He looks guilty for a second before perking back up, “Well Joo will be here in a second anyway and this concerns her too.” Hoseok looks down at the phone, confusion twisting his face.

“You aren’t trying to matchmake me again, are you?”

Minhyuk gives him a look of astonishment before throwing up his hands. “Hyung, I gave up on that _ages_ ago. You’re not interested in anyone that doesn’t have to do with watching Haeun or work, and this has to do with the former.” He pauses to breathe before launching into more long winded sentences. The lung capacity of that man amazes Hoseok sometimes. “That’s my friend and boyfriend’s roommate, Yoo Kihyun. He’s a theatre actor that recently graduated with Hyungwon but he’s broke as fuck.”

“Language Hyungwon,” Hoseok warns as he glances at Haeun, who’s sat up and rubbing her eyes.

“Sorry, but anyway, he doesn’t have formal schooling for child care but he’s great with kids and babysat all through college. He’s never been fired, maybe because he was always so desperate so he would even skip classes if he was asked.” Hoseok has a feeling Minhyuk wouldn’t have shut up if Jooheon hadn’t walked in with food.

He completely ignored the adults and practically ran 5 feet to where Haeun was, set all of the food on the floor, and scooped her up, doing his best to swing her around like Hyunwoo did, but he almost stepped on one of the things of food. “How’s my favorite niece doing!” 

Haeun giggles and covers her face as Jooheon sits on the couch, setting Haeun beside him and picking one of the things of food to hand her. It’s silent besides the sounds of chewing and them talking in whispers until Jooheon looks up and stares at Hoseok. 

“Nice of you to join us Jooheon, can I please have my food?” Hoseok asks teasingly. His secretary jumps up and hands a carton to Minhyuk, who took place in one of the plush chairs and set one on Hoseok’s desk.

~~~

Kihyun is pacing his room as he thinks of what to wear to this job interview. Minhyuk said to be casual since it would be at his house anyways, but he wants to make a good impression on the father and the kid. He wasn’t given much information besides the father is a single CEO and the kid is a five year old girl who likes My Little Pony. After calling in Hyungwon and arguing with him for five minutes over an outfit, (Hyungwon said a long sleeved t-shirt and leggings to show off that ass and Kihyun said a button down with jeans) Kihyun leaves the house with a long sleeved t-shirt, black leggings, a cardigan, and his prized pair of classic 1640 Dr. Martens. 

He glances at his phone to check the map he pulled up. It should be a twenty minute walk, but he was running late so he picks up the pace and jogs a bit, making it there in 15.

He gets into the hotel, that’s clearly way better than his apartment building, and makes his way across the huge lobby to the front desk as he catches his breath. He pulls out his I.D since Minhyuk told him he’d need it and starts to ask for Lee Hoseok, but the man interrupts him. “Go to the elevator and you’ll be taken up.”

_Okay so maybe they’re very organized_ Kihyun thought to himself as the bellboy pushes the elevator button and steps in, taking out a key and slipping it into a keyhole with the number 51 next to it. The elevator starts to rise smoothly, a stark contrast to the lurchiness of the elevator he’s used to. The bellboy doesn’t talk and neither does Kihyun, but a weird weird feeling was sitting in the bottom of his stomach. The lobby seemed to be mostly empty despite it being in the middle of the day, except a couple of men in casual clothes on their phones.

The instinct to run lasted until they got to the penthouse. The bellboy tipped his hat as Kihyun stepped out and stepped into a sizeable living area. There was some toys laying around and a My Little Pony comforter on the couch and it really seemed like a normal home besides it being huge for two people. 

Kihyun stayed put in front of the elevator but called out to grab someone’s attention.

A “Give me a second!” is the response he gets and a moment later, a broad man walks out holding a folder and a clipboard. Very far from the dad body Kihyun half expected.

“Yoo Kihyun?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this isn't edited.... oops  
my [twitter](https://twitter.com/binniestoes)!


	3. Sudden Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No comment, no writing, just a cold stare, but Kihyun doesn’t glance away, just smiles. The parent might be scary but he’s willing to face that to be able to make some money from doing something he enjoys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> daily uploads until christmas hehe

Kihyun nods and steps forward as the man, presumably Lee Hoseok, motions for him to sit in one of the two chairs that are sat across from each other. Kihyun notices the T.V is on and playing a rerun of My Little Pony, but it was muted. He had to admit this secret love for the cartoon from how kids he babysat and the fact he knew what the ponies were saying without the need of sound.

Apparently he’s entranced by the T.V enough for Hoseok to have to clear his throat loudly and say his name. “Are you ready for the interview?”

Kihyun snaps out of it and blushes, embarrassed. “I- uh, yes.”

He thinks there’s a hint of a smile on Hoseok’s face, but it’s gone before he can confirm it. “It’s really important I know what hours you can work. I often work very late at night and have had issues with babysitters leaving Haeun alone for possibly hours.”

Kihyun jumps in and starts talking about the crazy hours he used to work before realizing e was going on about something unimportant. “I can do a 24 hour shift if you really need me to, I don’t have a lot going on right now since I’m between auditions. The only times I wouldn’t be able to work is if I did have an audition, rehearsal, or show, but if it’s an emergency I can skip rehearsals no problem and I can bring Haeun to any of them if she doesn’t disrupt or get into anything.”

Hoseok nods, but doesn’t write anything down, which makes Kihyun worried. “Minhyuk said you don’t have much formal schooling for child care, but you did just tell me how much you used to watch kids so I’ll let that pass.” Kihyun almost sighs in relief. “What kind of foods can you make?”

“I usually cook for me and my roommate since he’s usually locked up in our studio space. I can make practically anything if I can find a recipe.”

No comment, no writing, just a cold stare, but Kihyun doesn’t glance away, just smiles. The parent might be scary but he’s willing to face that to be able to make some money from doing something he enjoys.

After what seems like an hour, Hoseok sits back and calls out, “Haeun! Sweety come here please!” A small girl toddles out, holding a stuffed bunny to her chest and looking at her dad with a pout. She only spares a glance at Kihyun before climbing onto her dad’s lap, who immediately wraps his arm around her to keep her from falling off. “Haeun, this is Kihyun,” he says in a much softer voice than what he used to talk to Kihyun. Haeun looks at him and nods before looking at Kihyun and doing what looked like a bow. Kihyun bows back and smiles at how cute she is.

“Hi! You must be Haeun! Your uncle Minhyuk has told me so much about you!” She wiggles and smiles at the mention of Minhyuk. Hoping Hoseok’s intention was to let him talk to her, he goes on, “Can you tell me the name of your friend?” She squirms again and Hoseok lets her go. She hops down and Kihyun slides off the chair and sits on the floor to be at eye level with her and she hands the bunny to him.

“His name is Danggeun.” Kihyun laughs and examines the bunny. He thought it had been relatively new, but it was just very well taken care of. The brown color naturally hid any possible stains, but it seemed to be washed regularly as it smelled like detergent and there was delicate stitching done in places it had been ripped in. “He’s very cute Haeun, he must be a very good friend.”

She nods enthusiastically and leans against Kihyun’s leg as he plays with the bunny.

After a while, Kihyun notices Hoseok isn’t even in the room anymore, but he doesn’t want to leave Haeun or wander their home unaccompanied so he continues to sit on the floor and talk with Haeun. Eventually, when Kihyun sees it’s getting dark, Hoseok returns and walks over to them.

Haeun may like Kihyun but she obviously prefers her father as she holds out her arms to be picked up by him. Hoseok holds her on his hip and holds out his hand. “Can I see your phone?” Kihyun nods and pulls it out of his back pocket where it’s been the whole time. He just glances at the notifications before unlocking it and handing it to Hoseok who gives it with a weird look before tapping it a few times and handing it back. Kihyun sees he had added himself to his contacts and it’s his turn to give a weird look. Hoseok is giving him that weird stare again. “You can start the day after tomorrow if you still want the job.

Kihyun hops up to his feet and says “Of course!” before bowing at the waist. “Haeun is such a sweet kid and I look forward to watching her.”

Hoseok’s stare falls into something softer and he doesn’t wipe it away this time. He grabs a three ringed binder from the coffee table and hands it to Kihyun, “That’s all of Haeun’s information including her schedule and any health concerns,” he pauses as Kihyun flips through it briefly before continuing, “I know it’s getting dark so I’ll tell my driver to take you home.” He walks him to the elevator and pushes the button, giving a, “Goodnight Kihyun,” as the doors open and turns away as they close.

“Back to the lobby?” The bellboy had been replaced by a bellgirl, again showing how long he’d been there. He nods and she presses the button with the L label, taking them on another smooth and quiet ride. When he gets to the lobby, he notices there’s still only two guys there, but they’re in different clothes and sitting in different places.

The unsettling feeling rises again as he walks toward the doors, and someone stops him as he steps out, startling him. “I’m Mr. Lee’s driver, he asked me to take you home.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you.” The driver, who was later in his years but not older than 50, held the back door open for Kihyun before walking around to the driver’s seat. He doesn’t seem to need directions but Kihyuns address was in the resume Minhyuk had given Hoseok so he doesn’t question it.

~~~

Hoseok stays up with Haeun a little longer before returning to his own room for the night. It had been a long time since someone completely unfamiliar got along with Haeun so well and digesting that was taking time.

With the nature of his work, he can’t be sure of Kihyun. He knows Minhyuk and apparently Jooheon as well judging by his phone wallpaper, which makes Hoseok not want to trust him. He could be sent from a rival for a long term infiltration mission but Minhyuk swore on his like that he’s never told Kihyun everything and he knows what would happen if it had been a lie.

Hoseok has to pull himself out of that scenario before he goes too deep and starts believing his own cautionary suspicions without evidence. He’ll have to ask Jooheon in the morning about how he knows Kihyun and in the meantime, he’ll conduct his own background check on the kid.

He hadn’t been given a reason to suspect him before, but too many things seemed to be a coincidence. He lives a five minute drive away, knows two of his closest friends and employees, got along with Haeun instantly, was seemingly interested in the muted T.V. The more he thought about it, the stranger it became. He would look away from Hoseok when he was being stared down, seemed so trusting so quickly.

But was it a matter of being desperate for money or the sinister thing Hoseok was thinking of?

~~~

Kihyun had been home for hours when he got a call. He had made sure to text Hoseok to make sure he had his number when he probably already did since he had his address, but when he looked at the caller I.D, it read Joohoney

Putting the phone right to his ear had been a decision that possibly damaged his hearing.

“HYUNG, MIN HYUNG TOLD ME YOU GOT A JOB!!”

Kihyun winces as he pulls the phone away and waits a second to see if his ear will start ringing and when it doesn’t, he responds in a whisper just loud enough for his mic to pick up, “Yes Honey, I got a babysitting job with Minhyuk’s boss.”

Jooheon has some sense to quiet down, since it was already 11 PM, as he says, “Oh, shit, I guess it never came up but Hoseok hyung is also my boss.” 

Kihyun just sits there for a moment before going, “What?”

Jooheon laughs, “Yeah, I’m his secretary. He found me after what happened to Saejun and offered me a job to help me get back on my feet, but him and everyone else were so good to me and I couldn’t see Hoseok hyung functioning without me, so I never left.” Kihyun knew about Saejun, knew him personally actually, but Jooheon never really talked about the savior that helped him get past it and even be able to get another boyfriend.

“Oh Jooheon, I’m so happy for you. Hoseok seems like such a good guy,” _despite being scary as fuck_. He keeps that last part to himself, suddenly thinking he was overreacting or being too paranoid.

They chatter for a while, Jooheon talking about domestic like with his buff boyfriend, the topic of work completely pushed back despite what Kihyun had just learned.”

When they finally hang up after said boyfriend got home, around 3 AM, Kihyun lays in bed for a while, thinking about his friends. He doesn’t have many, just Hyungwon, Minhyuk, and Jooheon, but he starts wondering why he doesn’t know much about the last two, particularly their work.

He didn’t even know they worked for the same man, what the company name is, what Minhyuk even does. He didn’t know what Jooheon did prior to the conversation they just had. And then he thinks of that grim look Minhyuk had when he got that call and Hyunwon’s sudden silence.

What in the hell could Lee Hoseok be doing to cause such secrecy and unwillingness to talk about their work?

Kihyun rolls over and decides he’ll figure it out some other time. He needs to prepare for his first day with Haeun when he wakes up.

~~~

Hoseok knows he shouldn’t have taken so many days off but his work is still hindered when Haeun is at the office. At least if he’s home then he can talk on the phone in private and not have to worry about handing Haeun off to someone else.

That realization is set in when he gets a call from Hyunwoo, who was instructed to not call on the last day he was taking off unless it was absolutely urgent.

He gets up from the floor where he had been playing with Haeun with a small kiss on her head and the promise of being back before walking into his study and shutting the door.

“Hoseok, I can’t handle this on my own. You have to come to the club, please.” Hoseok has never heard Hyunwoo sound worried or stressed, not even when they were kids when their parents had died in the same fire or when Hyunwoo busted down that door to see blood splattered on the walls and Hoseok standing in the middle of the room, looking feral as Haeun cried and screamed.

“Give me half an hour.” And he hangs up to call Kihyun.

He answers on the fourth ring with a groggy, “Yes?”

“Hey, I know I told you that you can start tomorrow, but something very urgent came up at work and I can’t bring Haeun with me.”

There’s a rustling and the sound of footsteps before a very side awake Kihyun says, “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’ll call down a cab.”

Hoseok sighs, “Thank you and I’m sorry. I’ll reimburse you for the cab and sudden call. I don’t know how long this will take so please pack an overnight bag just in case. I have a spare bedroom.”

“Of course,” and there’s the click of the phone being hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come yell at me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/binniestoes) or in my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/leehoseucc)


	4. The Treasure Lounge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoseok is pacing the room, seemingly more anxious than Kihyun had been and clearly not wanting to leave Haeun until her babysitter arrived. His cell phone is clutched tightly in his hand, his knuckles white and Kihyun thinks he might snap that phone.
> 
> “Hoseok, I’m here, you can go now,” Kihyun’s voice snaps Hoseok out of his thoughts and relief washes over his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY HOLIDAYS, HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER!!

Of course Kihyun didn’t even give himself time to let the situation sink in, he just threw clothes, a blanket, hygiene products, and Haeun’s binder into a bag before grabbing his wallet and rushing past Hyungwon, who gave him a weird look, and out the door. His foot was tapping with anxious energy as he waited for the elevator, his impatience almost making him take the stairs, but he knows that wouldn’t help him get down faster.

He runs out the front door of his apartment building when he finally gets down, and down the street a bit to get to a place where he can wave down a cab. Everything is taking too long as the adrenaline rushes through his body. He’s needed and he’s not getting there fast enough.

When an empty cab finally pulls over, he throws the door open, giving the address before he even shuts the door. The driver looks startled but takes off as soon as Kihyun is buckled in, sensing the urgency. It’s the perfect time of day, after lunch but before people start getting off work and kids are released from school, so Kihyun starts taking out money before they even get there, handing it to the driver as they pull to a stop in front of the hotel, saying, “Keep the change,” as he slams the door shut and rushes into the building.

He pulls out his phone to check the time, and he had made it there sooner than he said he would. He pays no mind to the two men in the lobby and only glances at the girl behind the front desk, who gives him a nod to go ahead, before getting into the elevator with the same bellboy as the day before.

He doesn’t even ask before inserting the key and they make their way up. Kihyun takes the opportunity to breathe. He made it on time and he can’t appear frazzled in front of Haeun or she might freak out, so he just looks through his bag to make sure he has everything and zips it back up as the elevator doors open.

Hoseok is pacing the room, seemingly more anxious than Kihyun had been and clearly not wanting to leave Haeun until her babysitter arrived. His cell phone is clutched tightly in his hand, his knuckles white and Kihyun thinks he might snap that phone.

“Hoseok, I’m here, you can go now,” Kihyun’s voice snaps Hoseok out of his thoughts and relief washes over his face.

He doesn’t give a greeting, just starts explaining what he can,“She’s laying down for a nap, but she’ll be up in an hour or so. I don’t know when I’ll get back but you’re welcome to sleep over if it gets too late, I won’t make you leave.” He’s grabbing a book bag and jacket from the sofa as he says all of this. Whatever it was, it was making the bulky and typically stoic man fidget with the clasps of the bag. “Take care of Haeun, make sure she eats dinner and gets tucked in with Danggeun or she’ll keep waking up. There’s enough in the fridge for the both of you since I was going to eat with her, but I’ll eat at work instead.”

Kihyun is taking in the information, back logging it for later as Hoseok is stepping into the elevator, which the bellboy had kept open. The doors close and he’s gone.

Kihyun doesn’t know what to do with himself as Haeun is sleeping, so he decides to look in the fridge and try to figure out what Hoseok had been planning for dinner. There’s packages of ramen on the table and pork belly in the fridge with some vegetables and eggs, so Kihyun decides they’ll have that with some kimchi. He read Haeun likes spicy food if it’s relatively mild, so he grabs the two containers of kimchi to taste them, but they’re labeled with tape on the lid as “spicy” and “mild” so he sets them back. There’s still some time before when he’s supposed to make dinner, so he slips off his slippers and sits on the sofa, looking for something to watch until he hears Haeun get up.

~~~

Hoseok arrives at his club, Treasure Lounge, and pushes the door open to a sight that makes Hyunwoo’s tone make so much more sense. Before he couldn’t think of anything to stir that man.

The suspended cages have been cut down, a feat in itself as they were chained up, his employees were scattered around, blood everywhere, bottles behind the bar smashed, bloodied glass. He couldn’t see much of the upper lounge area, but he could see a girl hanging over the railing, her hair shielding her face as it hung down.

Hyunwoo walked out of the employee’s only area and Hoseok caught a glimpse of bloodied tile floor before the door swung shut again. He seemed to have regained his composure, but he was right about not being able to handle this on his own, it was a massacre and Hoseok has to call his whole team.

“What is the actual fuck happened here?” He tries to keep his anger down, knowing Hyunwoo had been shooken up and this clearly wasn’t his fault.

Hyunwoo takes a deep breath, “I found the place like this. Everyone was here, preparing for opening and there was a disturbance at the office so I got here late. The door was jammed shut and I had to kick it open to even get inside. I- Hoseok if I had gotten here on time this wouldn’t have happened. I could have just put Changkyun on the thing that happened at the office because it was just a bunch of teens playing some prank.” He’s shaking again, in frustration or fear, it was hard to tell.

Hoseok steps over the blood as well as he can and pats Hyunwoo on the shoulder. “Woo, I don’t think it was just a bunch of teens. You’re one of my strongest men, I’ve seen you fight, take down ten guys your size in five minutes. It’s the reason you manage this place, and they must have known if you were here they’d never get past the threshold. They could have also known I was taking days off.”

Hyunwoo nods and rests his forehead on Hoseok’s shoulder, taking deep breaths and muttering parts of what Hoseok said to himself until he seemed to at least half believe them.

When he stands straight again, Hoseok gets serious. “Do you have those teens?”

Hyunwoo shakes his head, “I let them go without thinking about it after I got their names and info. I really thought it was something minor, but there’s something else. None of the dancers are here and I couldn’t reach any of them.”

Hoseok grits his teeth. It makes sense now, “Get Changkyun and Minhyuk and go gather those kids for me. It seems we need to do a bit of interrogating, civilians or not. And get this place cleaned up, we’ll stay closed until we get to the bottom of this”

~~~

Haeun had woken up right around when Hoseok said she would, but it was still too early for dinner, so they were seated on the sofa together under the blanket Kihyun had brought, watching My Little Pony on Netflix since he didn’t know what channel it would have been on.

He doesn’t want Haeun dozing off again or she might not sleep at night, so he suggests they find something to do.

She sits right up and grabs Kihyun’s hand jumping up and down, so he asks, “What?”

“I have dollies and more stuffies in my room!” She tugs on his hand so Kihyun gets up and throws the blanket over the back of the sofa and follows her down the hall.

Her room was full of very typical girl stuff with lots of color splashed everywhere. Her comforter was dominantly purple, but had all of the main ponies on it and her walls were painted blue that reminded him of Andy’s room from Toy Story. The big doll house in the middle of a dark rug was pink and had not only Barbies and dolls of brands he doesn’t recognize in it, but also little pet figurines and any stuffed animal that was small enough to fit somewhere without crowding it.

“Wow Haeunnie, everything is so cute!!”

And the cheeky kid goes, “But not as cute as me, right?”

Kihyun laughs and gives her a big smile, “Of course not kiddo. You’re the cutest thing in the whole universe and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

They spend the next hour playing until Kihyun hears his phone ringing in the living room. “Hang on, I have to answer that,” but Haeun grabs Kihyun’s pants leg. “What is it?” He asks after seeing her pout.”

“Everytime Daddy answers the phone and talks too long, he leaves.” Kihyun’s heart breaks at that, it must not be easy being a single father and a CEO.

He squats back down and rustles Haeun’s hair as his phone starts ringing again, “It might be your daddy and if it is, I’ll ask him to talk to you before I make dinner, is that okay?” Haeun lets go and nods, still looking a little sad as Kihyun walks away.

He answers just before it goes to voicemail again, but glances quickly to see who it is. “Hoseok? I’m sorry it took me so long, I was in the bedroom with Haeun and didn’t have my phone.”

Hoseok gives a little grunt and says, “It’s okay. I’m glad she has someone to play with, the last babysitter did but no one really did before her. Anyway, the problem here is bigger than I thought it would be so I might have to spend the night at the office. I’m really sorry for this, but you’ll likely have to stay there until tomorrow night, but you can take Haeun with you if you need to grab things from your place or have someone run them to the lobby. Just don’t leave her in the apartment alone, she scares easily.”

Kihyun gives an okay before nearly hanging up, “Wait!”

“Yes?”

“Can you talk to Haeun for a moment? She was really sad when she woke up and saw you weren’t here.”

There’s a hesitation, making Kihyun regret asking instead of telling Haeun it was a friend, but he agrees and Kihyun walks to the bedroom.

“It’s your dad, he can’t come home until tomorrow but you can talk to him for a moment.” Haeun grins and reaches for the phone. He leaves the room as they talk to prepare dinner and think over everything. Hoseok carefully didn’t mention what actually happened and hesitated to talk to Haeun, his own daughter. Sure, maybe it’s because he’s busy but it still didn’t feel right.

The pot of water has already come to a boil when Haeun walks out with his phone, “Daddy said he forgot to say something.” he smiles and takes the phone, glad Haeun look a little brighter than before.

“Yeah?”

“If you hear me come home in the middle of the night, don’t come out of your room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be taking the next few days editing the last three chapters and writing chapter 5 when i'm not doing holiday things. i won't make changes big enough to affect the whole story, mainly just grammar things and making things make more sense if needed. expect chapter 5 in the next week!!
> 
> for updates on progress and just my funny personality, follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/binniestoes)!


	5. Just Relax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He cleans up the mess he made and finishes dinner, all the while Haeun kept a close eye on him. What she could do besides shout again, Kihyun doesn’t know. He doesn’t know if she knows how to dial her father or an emergency line since she doesn’t have her own phone yet.

The chill didn’t leave Kihyun for a long time and all he could think about while making dinner was _what the fuck?_ What in the fresh hell could he mean when he says to not come out?

A lot of possibilities run through his head before he hears Haeun shout, “Oppa!” He looks down to see the pot with ramen had bubbled over and was splashing onto his shirt and arms. He quickly flips the knob to turn the burner off and checks over himself to make sure he wasn’t seriously burnt.

_Goddamn scary fucking boss._

He cleans up the mess he made and finishes dinner, all the while Haeun kept a close eye on him. What she could do besides shout again, Kihyun doesn’t know. He doesn’t know if she knows how to dial her father or an emergency line since she doesn’t have her own phone yet.

Kihyun tries to shake that dread off, which he seems to be doing a lot these days, to talk to Haeun as they ate. She was happy to talk about all sorts of things from Danggeun to her uncles, but her eyes especially lit up when you got her on the topic of her favorite cartoon. She tells him as much of the main plot as she can remember and about all of the My Little Pony toys she has.

Kihyun is absolutely endeared by this girl and wonders how someone could leave her in the apartment alone at night, especially if Hoseok is a CEO. He probably has a few enemies and according to the many kdramas Kihyun has watched, there’s probably one or two that’ll do anything to bring him down.

That thought stops him in his tracks. He doesn’t actually know if he’s a CEO, does he? That’s just what he’s been told and Hoseok hasn’t really said anything himself. And then Kihyun feels stupid. _He owns the building you’re sitting in you dumbfuck. That makes him a CEO._

All of the weird behavior is screwing with Kihyun’s head. He’s having trouble enjoying quality time with Haeun because his thoughts keep wandering off.

He decides to go take a walk with her before it gets too dark, hoping the fresh air will clear his head and help her not feel so cooped up. They pull on jackets and Kihyun searches around for a scarf for her before they set out. The shift hasn’t changed yet, so the same bellboy as earlier greets them, but instead of the usual expressionless face, he looks at them curiously.

Kihyun realizes he didn’t write a note in case Hoseok somehow magically appeared in the penthouse while they were gone, but decides to send him a quick text instead of making the bellboy take them all the way back up.

He nods to the receptionist, Haeun’s small hand in his, as he tries to ignore the two men on their way out.

~~~

Hoseok tosses his phone after looking at the text Kihyun had sent. Haeun needed to get out more, he knows the babysitters are usually unwilling to take her to the park if they aren’t asked and it’ll tire her out so she’ll sleep better.

He looks to Changkyun who’s standing stiffly before his desk. “Hyung, those teenagers from earlier are downstairs.”

Hoseok waves at him, “At ease you weirdo, you’re not a soldier and you were never even trained like one.” Changkyun doesn’t relax, just continues to stand there. He went from a skinny little kid selling drugs for the medications he needed to survive to this strong man before him in just a few years and Hoseok is proud of him but he wished he would, “Just _relax_. Changkyun, I’m your hyung, not your fucking captain. Now relax or I’ll kick you out of my office.”

Changkyun looks conflicted before he obeys, relaxing and propping his hand on a jutted out hip. “They haven’t said anything important so far, look scared shitless if we’re being honest. I don’t know if they knew what they were doing.”

Hoseok listens and thinks of a plan. If the kids don’t know anything about the club then he can’t fault them for that but they have information, just need a little more convincing to spit it out.

He stands up and starts walking out of the office, motioning for Changkyun to follow him. “Hyung, you aren’t going to hurt them are you? One way or another they’re probably just citizens.”

“I’m not going to hurt them,” Hoseok says as they get into the elevator, “But they don’t know that.” He pushes the button labeled B3. They start down, but like everything, Hoseok’s office is at the top. 

When they reach the lowest level they can, Hoseok steps out and Changkyun grabs a gun from his holster and holds it pointed at the ground. This area was probably the safest in the building besides Hoseok’s office, but he doesn’t question it, Changkyun often had better senses than him. “They were separated between cells 5 and 7. Hoseok heads straight for 6.

Much like a normal interrogation room, there was a table set with bolted down handcuffs, but the kid was free and roaming around the room. He says to Changkyun rather loudly, “Please go get my cart.” The teenager looks up with wide eyes and puts himself into a corner. Hoseok stays relaxed as he wanders further into the room, keeping his stance slack and acting interested in the room. He still startles the boy when he goes, “So, I heard you played a prank on my office?” 

He nods, but doesn't make a move forward. Hoseok is much larger than most of his men and tended to be more intimidating. "Was there a reason? Because after that incident, every single one of my employees that work at my club downtown were found dead or are currently missing." Hoseok takes slow steps forward as he says this and bites his words off. "You will be held accountable for over 50 people's lives if you don't tell me who put you up to that."

The boy starts shaking really bad then and in a few seconds, there's sobs filling the room. Changkyun is back with his cart of medical instruments, but Hoseok doesn't look at him. He has a feeling this kid is going to talk soon.

~~~

Although the sun is setting, Kihyun takes Haeun to the park. It's deserted, but Haeun doesn't care as she runs to the swing set shouting, "Kihyun! Push me!"

He smiles and walks over, doing just that, Haeun laughing and yelling as she goes higher each time. When she gets bored of that, she yells for him to stop and jumps off when Kihyun grabs the chains to slow it down.

She runs to the play structure, getting Kihyun to play chase, taunting him with, "You can't catch me!" When he does, he picks her up by the waist and spins around before setting her down and letting her run off again with some giggles.

They're having so much fun, Haeun almost acting like she rarely gets this kind of attention, but eventually she tires out and falls asleep in Kihyun's lap while he's seated on the bench.

They're not far from the hotel so he picks her up with her head laying on his chest and legs around his waist, and carries her home.

Someone sees he has his arms full when he walks up to the doors and hurries over to help him and out of the corner of his eye, he sees the receptionist, who's always stone faced, smile softly. The two guys, the same ones from when they left, glance up and their hard exteriors fall for a moment.

The bellgirl openly smiles at him when he gets the elevator and says in a soft voice, "The employees here don't get to see her often because Mr. Lee is always too busy to take her out and the past babysitters wouldn't unless they were asked to."

Kihyun smiles and nods, not being used to conversation with any of the employees here. He supposes Haeun brings out something in everyone here, they'd probably all die for her of it came down to it.

They make to Hoseok's penthouse without anymore conversation, the bellgirl had put her poker face back on after Kihyun didn't reply.

Hoseok clearly wasn't back yet, the home still as dark as Kihyun had left it. Turning on lights as he walks through the place, he makes it to Haeun's bedroom and pulls back the comforter that wasn't even on the bed properly, and tucks her in. He grabs her rabbit and places in jer arms before switching off the lights and walking out, but he runs right into someone's chest.

He looks curiously at his boss, "Hoseok? I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow."

Hoseok smiles warmly and looks past Kihyun at Haeun. "Things got wrapped up a lot faster than I thought they would so I came to sleep in a warm bed. You're welcome to stay the night since I have to leave early tomorrow to tie loose ends and continue taking care of normal business."

Kihyun nods and wanders to the guest room as Hoseok makes his way to his own room.

It wasn't until much later, after he had woken himself up from an unpleasant dream did he remember the warning.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on [twitter!](https://twitter.com/binniestoes)
> 
> i will get back to this someday, i swear


End file.
